Hot and Spicy: Herbal Compresses Turns Humans to Putty!

I've been staring at them in catalogs for months. I finally broke down and bought the whole kit. I added them to the menu, but I really hadn't had a chance to promote them. I love them. They become a whole other layer of massage to add to your experience. The heat from them is like the hot stone massage, but the lung expanding scent of camphor and lime is dreamy.

What is an herbal compress?

It is a bundle of aromatic herbs that is wrapped in cheesecloth, sewn into a tight ball then steamed until super hot. When it's ready, your therapist warms your skin by holding the hot compress in their hand then transferring the heat to your skin. When you're ready, the compress is dabbed firmly along the energy lines of your arms in legs. The heat is applied to the large muscles of shoulders, back, and thighs.

The combination of herbs used is the same Thai recipe that has been used by healers for centuries.

• Ginger Phrai: anti-inflammatory, esp. for bronchial/lung issues, toning and antiseptic for skin, soothes sprains and inflamed joints.
• Lemongrass Ta Khrai: anti-inflammatory, helps sprains, bruises, and sore muscles
• Tumeric Khamin: cleansing effect that speeds healing of skin, antiseptic properties help heal bruises, joint pain, sprains, or muscle pain.
• Kaffir Lime Ma Kurt: the leaves are a common home treatment for colds and congestion. It's astringent, cleansing, and healing for skin.
• Camphor Ga Ra Boon: this is a gum from tree bark. It's the oil in cough drops that boosts the menthol to a nasal wasabi level. It stimulates and dilates the the respiratory system, and also soothes anxiety and insomnia. Heals bruises and promotes healthy skin growth.
• Tamarind Ma Khaam: antiseptic and astringent for the skin. 

I learned this treatment a decade ago, when I worked at Complexions Spa in Seal Beach. This training led me to take Thai table massage a few years later at California College of Physical Arts. I love the assisted stretching/yoga aspect of it. The gentle rocking, and measured pressure along designated energy lines really take the massage to an alpha/spiritual space. 

Until you experience it, you'll never know the floating feeling you get when you have relaxed past caring. It can't be described. You are there, you can hear me, feel me move around the room, but you're floating, lucid dreaming, snoring, and belly-breathing unconsciously. 

 When it's done right it is amazing. 

I know a lot of you are going to get more physical now that summer is here, and with that comes a lot of soreness. I highly recommend adding them to your massage. They are bone-meltingly relaxing.

Please let me know ahead of time to add them to your service. They need at least 30 minutes to get hot enough. 

Remember to Enjoy How You Feel Every Day

Eda

How To Body Brush

How to body brush and why you should be doing it regularly. 

Body brushing is a centuries old simple health regimen. A dry brush is used to lightly brush the skin, bringing a blush of fresh blood circulation to the surface. This loosens dead skin cells, and the oxygen rich blood and nutrients feed the new skin cells, toning the skin and keeping it healthy. It moves the lymph to the glands located in armpits and groin, reducing edema and clearing metabolic debris from the body. It's like drinking water, or getting enough sleep. Simple, yet effective in boosting your health.

Do this in parts.
Lower/Upper-Left/Right-Front/Back,
three rows for each limb,
Outer/Middle/Inner.

• Start Ankle to knee, brush 3 times upward with light brisk strokes outer part of leg then middle then inner. Move up to the knee and brush up the thigh, do the same. Angle the strokes toward your groin. Brush up the back of the leg in the same pattern.Then do the same to your other leg.

• Lightly draw a clockwise circle(right to left) 3 times around your abdomen, starting at the upper right side across to upper left, down to the groin sweeping across the lower abdomen then back up to the upper right.                       
• Brush from wrist to elbow 3 times in 3 rows, brush elbow to armpit 3 times in 3 rows then brush upward from your hip 3 times, across your outer ribs, straight to your armpit, you can brush the underside and top of your breast, sweeping toward closest armpit. If you have had lymph glands removed from any area, always sweep away from that set of glands. Ask someone who does MLD to show you the pattern to sweep away from those areas. 

This is best done in the morning right before your shower. You'll wake up your body and get the juices flowing. You should feel a nice tingly buzz on the skin after you're done. 

Don't scrub! This isn't to exfoliate, it's to flush fluids from your dermal layers to cleansing organs and ultimately out of your body. 

Always keep your brush dry, if you keep it in the shower it will get manky within a month.

To clean your brush wash it in Dawn dishwashing liquid, preferably anti bacterial, and then let it dry in the sun. Simple and keeps you simply beautiful.

Thank you for reading my blog.

 I'm Eda of Massage by Eda. 

Remember to Enjoy How You Feel!

Twilight: Ultimate Relaxation During Your Massage

Welcome to my first massage blog!

It's not my first ever, but it's the first time I've written for my massage practice. I'm so excited! My first subject to address: Relaxing into it.

Some of my clients ask me what I consider the best compliment. I say snoring. If I've managed to knock you unconscious with massage, I've succeeded.

I call this Twilight.

You're here, but not really. You can hear me moving around the room, feel me picking up your arm, tucking the sheet around you, but you are floating, having waking dreams, slipping in and out your unconscious, healing yourself.

It is called an alpha state. You're breathing deepens, and gets more regular. Your limbs go limp and twitch as your nervous system gears down. In yoga it is called corpse pose. You lay flat out, palms out, feet turned outward. 

This is when your best healing occurs. 
This is massage gold. 

There are levels to the benefits you receive with massage. The first levels are more physical and gained by one time massage(after 90 days, it has officially been forever since you had a massage). Your range of motion is improved, your skin is moisturized and toned with the squeezing and stroking of your dermal layers. Adhesions are broken down, scars are softened.

The secondary levels affect the systems of the body. Your circulatory and lymph systems are pumped, pools of metabolic waste are pushed along to be flushed out by your urinary system, calcium deposits and deeper scar tissue is broken up and re-absorbed by the body. Long standing injuries, and structural issues are addressed and restored to balance. These are reached with repeat massage, at least once a month for six months.

The third deeper levels are harder to reach. They touch us on emotional levels, and heal the nervous system. The deeper levels address chronic pain, abuse issues, PTSD, and a whole host of other psychological/pain management issues. 

This is the massage gold I dig for. It comes with viewing massage as an accompanying therapy for pain management teams. This is where massage is done weekly or every two weeks.

I always talk to my clients before their massage to find out what they need. When people are used to meditation and massage, they hop on the table, and instantly begin to sink into their alpha state.
Some of my more anxious clients keep chatting, because it calms them. I'm happy to listen and laugh with them. But I'm always thrilled when they quiet down to the point they reach the Twilight. I see it by the rise and fall of their chest, the limpness of their limbs, and the twitching of their hands and feet. 

They're floating.

They're healing.

They're are lucid dreaming.

And while their mind is unspooling and releasing the digital assault we all undergo on a daily basis, their body systems are re-booting, and healing them.

We are all sleep deprived, and most are caffeine driven. Your liver flushes and cleans blood at night. Your pancreas, spleen, and gall bladder replenishes their hormones to help with your digestion. All these systems are affected by stress and lack of sleep. Most of the systems are already compromised by daily life and medications.

Massage gives your body the space and time to do important work. When your reach that Twilight moment, relax into it, and know that you are receiving the most important benefit of massage. Inner peace and healing.

When you feel your heart slow on the table, close your eyes, get comfortable.

 Don't worry about me. I'm focused on untangling your muscles, and smoothing your fascia.

You focus on you. 

Let your thoughts drift past, don't latch onto anything, don't plan what you are going to do after, don't make lists, just watch your thoughts swirl away and marvel you keep so much in your head. 

Let go. 

Let go of everything, relax your neck, your arms, your legs. 

Be warm, be safe.

Drift. 

You'll reach the Twilight.